Tag Archives: Fish

Milton, Vermont Angler Catches Muskie Through Ice

Ryan Carpentier with 32″, 14.1# muskellunge he caught while ice fishing on Lake Champlain on February 12, 2017. Carpentier measured, weighed and successfully released the fish.

When the flag on one of his tip-ups sprang to life on Lake Champlain on a clear February morning, Ryan Carpentier didn’t know what was lurking on the other end.

Just before sunrise about three miles off shore, near Tyler Place in Swanton, Carpentier set up 15 tip-ups, rigging them with 50-pound test, pike minnows and a circle hook with red and blue beads.

Around 8:30 a.m., he got his first and only bite of the day.

“I knew it was one of the biggest fish I had ever caught just by the way it ran,” Carpentier said. “I thought it was huge northern [pike]. It did four or five nasty runs like I’ve never experienced before. It was definitely a fight,”

After a ten minutes struggle, Carpentier hauled a 38-inch, 14.1-pound muskellunge through the ice with the help of two friends.

After hauling the fish out of the water, the group quickly measured, weighed, photographed the fish and got it back in the water as quickly as possible.

The catch was the first muskellunge Carpentier had ever caught, but it was also one the few successful wintertime muskie catch and releases documented on Lake Champlain in Vermont.

After he released the fish and posted the photos on social media, Vermont Fish & Wildlife fisheries biologist Shawn Good contacted Carpentier.

“What I can tell you is I’ve never heard of a muskie getting caught through the ice in Vermont,” Good said. “It is important to say that because they do get caught through the ice in other states where they’re more abundant.”

Good has headed the department’s muskellunge team since 2008, a group that has spearheaded the muskie restoration movement on Lake Champlain. Lake Champlain’s muskie population was assumed lost between 1970 and 1980, Good said.

In the 1970’s-1980’s the muskie population was depleted and surveys and efforts to find any evidence of muskies in the lake by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff came up dry. Wildlife officials speculate the sharp decline was a reaction to poor water quality in the Missisquoi River and Missisquoi Bay after a chemical paper mill spill on the river, a tributary of Lake Champlain.

Good said overfishing did not play a role in the hurting the population, but he stressed the need for anglers to follow Vermont’s strict catch and release muskie policy.

To help revive the population, Good and his team have stocked 5-6″ muskie fingerlings. On average, Good said he stocks between 6,000 and 7,000 summer fingerlings per year. Since the start of the program, Good said he has stocked 50,620 fish in the Missisquoi River and Missisquoi Bay – the last known place where the native population was known to exist.

“We’re trying to return a species that was native to Lake Champlain back to the lake and reestablish its place in the fish community,” Good said. “We stock them in August and they’re hatched in April or May, so they’re four months old. The theory is, the larger they are when you stock them, the higher the probability of them surviving.”

Other states stock muskie at different stages including fry, which are typically 1 inch long, and fall fingerlings, which are about 10 inches. The number of fish stocked is relative to the size of the fish being stocked, Good said.

For instance, stocking muskie fry means that between 80,000 and 100,000 are stocked per year, with the expected survival rate hovering around 10 percent.

While Good noted Carpentier’s catch was uncommon because muskies are elusive, low-density predators he pointed to the instance as a larger sign that the restoration program is having a noticeable impact on the muskie population.

“At some point in the near future, there could be a recreational, targetable population of muskie that can sustain a sport fishery,” Good said. “It’s really encouraging.”

Vt. Fish & Wildlife fisheries biologist Shawn Good confirmed the catch and release of a second muskellunge, between 34-35 inches, through the ice on Lake Champlain less than 10 miles. That fish was caught by Gage Honsinger.

Two Record Fish Caught in Vermont in 2016

New records set for bluegill and freshwater drum

Joseph Whalen Jr. With 25.54# Freshwater Drum- One of Two Record Fish Caught in Vermont in 2016

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department announced that two fish caught in 2016 were certified as new state records, making them the 14th and 15th state records that have been set for individual species of fish since 2010.

John Konya of Bradford caught a new record bluegill in August while fishing with a nightcrawler and silver spinner on Miller Pond in West Fairlee. The fish weighed 1.98 pounds, measured 12.25 inches long and had a girth of 12.5 inches. Konya’s bluegill beat the previous record bluegill which was caught in Lake Champlain in 2008 and weighed 1.93 pounds.

In September, New York angler Joseph Whalen Jr. landed the new Vermont record freshwater drum while fishing in the mid-lake area of Lake Champlain. The drum weighed 25.54 pounds, measured 34.5 inches in length and was 26.5 inches around at its widest point.

Interestingly, Whalen’s daughter Amelia caught the current New York state record freshwater drum in 2016. That fish, also caught in Lake Champlain, weighed in at 29.87 pounds and measured 36.5 inches in length.

“We saw some incredible fish in 2016, most notably the new record bluegill and freshwater drum,” said Shawn Good, fisheries biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife. “The diversity of record fish we’re seeing each year really speaks to both the variety and quality of sport fish that are present in Vermont in healthy populations. Vermont truly is an anglers’ paradise that is matched by very few locations elsewhere.”

Good also pointed to the two record freshwater drum caught by the Whalen’s from Lake Champlain as a highlight from 2016 for a variety of reasons.

“These fish prove that anglers can land trophy-size fish by thinking outside the box and maybe targeting some of the lesser-known species of fish we have here in Vermont,” said Good. “I can’t think of any other state that has seen as many new state records for different species of fish in recent years as we have here. New records set for 15 different species in just six years is amazing. These catches are creating a great deal of excitement around Vermont fishing, and anglers are expanding their fishing pursuits as a result.

“What’s equally as impressive to see is a family making fishing one of their favorite activities. Fishing and enjoying Vermont’s great outdoors with family and friends is a truly rewarding pastime that we hope everyone can experience at some point in their life.”

Threatened Northern Sunfish Discovered in Clinton County

Northern Sunfish

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Rare Fish Unit has confirmed the presence of northern sunfish in the Great Chazy River in the village of Champlain, Clinton County, New York.

In early September Biologist Doug Carlson and technician Eric Maxwell identified nearly a dozen of the threatened fish species in the river.

“We are ecstatic for this discovery and it adds to the unique species in the Great Chazy River that showcase its diversity and fishing appeal,” said Carlson.

Also known as the longear sunfish, the northern sunfish is a small, thin, deep-bodied fish that averages three to four inches in length. It is sometimes a colorful fish with an olive to rusty-brown back, bright orange belly, and blue-green bars on the side of the head. The northern sunfish has short, round pectoral fins and an upward-slanting gill cover flap that has a white and red flexible edge. It is often mistaken for a pumpkinseed sunfish.

The northern sunfish is a threatened species in New York State and it has suffered immense losses in Western New York. Biologists have speculated that several factors are involved, including interactions with non-native fish like green sunfish and round goby. The population of this recent discovery in the Chazy appears robust and quite localized.

12-year-old from the Adirondacks Catches Record Freshwater Drum

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that Amelia Whalen of Witherbee caught a record breaking freshwater drum from Lake Champlain in Essex County on June 4, 2016. The fish measured 36.5 inches and weighed 29 pounds 14 ounces, breaking the previous state record set in 2014 by more than 3 pounds.

Amelia Whalen stands with her father who holds the record-breaking fish.

“This state record is just another example of the great fishing opportunities New York has to offer, even for lesser known species such as the freshwater drum,” said Commissioner Seggos. “No matter what time of year, angling possibilities in this state are endless, and I congratulate Amelia on her accomplishment, which is quite a feat for any angler, let alone a 12-year-old.”

Freshwater drum, also referred to as “sheepshead,” primarily dwell in large rivers and lakes. Their pronounced blunt head make them easily identifiable. With numerous small round teeth made for crushing, drum feed mostly on freshwater snails, clams and crayfish. When hooked, drum are known to put up a good fight. For more information on this unique fish species, visit NY DEC’s website.

Amelia, who caught the drum with a Lazer Blade lure, submitted details of her winning catch as part of DEC’s Angler Achievement Awards Program, which verifies and tracks state record fish. Through this program, anglers can enter freshwater fish that meet specific qualifying criteria and receive official recognition of their catch and a distinctive lapel pin commemorating their achievement. The three categories that make up the program are: Catch & Release, Annual Award and State Record.

“It was a phenomenal memory that I’ll always have reeling in the monstrous sheepshead that day,” Amelia said. “I was unimaginably surprised when my dad told me that it was definitely going to break the record.”

Fish & Wildlife Offering Free Fishing Clinics

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department will be hosting two free fishing clinics in September, both of which are open to people of all ages and levels of experience, including those who are completely new to fishing.

The first clinic, “Basics of Fishing,” will be held on Tuesday, September 6, at the Shelburne Bay Fishing Access Area in Shelburne. The clinic will focus on general fishing techniques and equipment, and is tailored toward those who have little to no fishing experience. It will begin at 4:30 p.m. and run until 7:00 p.m.

“The Basics of Fishing program is the perfect opportunity for anyone new to the sport to learn the fundamentals and get started in fishing,” said Corey Hart, Let’s Go Fishing Coordinator with Vermont Fish & Wildlife.

A second clinic, “Intro to Trout Fishing,” will take place on Saturday, September 10, at the Waterbury Public Library as well as on the Winooski River in Waterbury. The clinic, which will concentrate specifically on trout fishing tactics, will start at 9:30 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m.

“For those looking to learn the basics of trout fishing with spinning equipment, this clinic is a great starting place,” said Hart. “We’ll cover a range of topics including habitat, life cycle, regulations, and fishing techniques. The course is designed as an introductory level course and will emphasize basic live bait techniques as well as strategies for using artificial lures.”

The two clinics will be led by staff from Vermont Fish & Wildlife and instructors from the Let’s Go Fishing Program.

Fishing equipment will be available for use, or participants can bring their own.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required for participation in either clinic. Anyone interested can register by emailing letsgofishing@vermont.gov, or by calling 802-505-5562.